Dear Friends “My relationships with my neighbours was okay but now not good because of my children and their friends. They complain a lot that my house is noisy,” responded a mother of 5 when asked what issues children in her neighbourhood faced. She added, “I know we have to be considerate but then where should my kids hang out?” This mother was concerned that her children would get into trouble if she allowed them to spend their free time unsupervised. She had noticed other children in her neighbourhood smoking and felt that it was only a matter of time …
Another Week Beyond – 1920
Dear Friends On 27 April 2019, a group of student volunteers from the Singapore University of Social Sciences held a debrief and concluded that their 6-session learning programme, Project K.R.O.N.O.S., held in their campus from 16 March to 20 April succeeded in providing children a safe environment to enjoy hands-on learning. We could not agree more and applaud them for their meticulous preparation and their commitment to the belief that regardless, children will be able to learn if the conditions are right. Project K.R.O.N.O.S. focused on ensuring that children experienced a genuine sense of acceptance through healthy attachment with a …
Another Week Beyond – 1919
Dear Friends Last Saturday, a mother of two teenagers we shall call Rose arrived at our centre at 4.45 pm. Her meeting was scheduled for 6.30 pm but she said that she was happy just to wait for the rest. Rose’s health has been deteriorating over the past 2 years. She is now wheelchair bound and the meeting was arranged for her family and friends to discuss how they could cooperate in caring for the well-being of her children. Her sister, her niece and 5 neighbours arrived about 6 pm and the meeting started on time. On Rose’s recommendation, we …
Another Week Beyond – 1918
Dear Friends When Jacey an intern from Youth Corps Singapore discovered that we had a baking programme that helped mothers gain some income, she thought up Project Oven Hearts to capitalise on Mothers’ Day sales. She was excited about the initiative as she got to put her entrepreneurial skills for a social purpose. She met the mothers, explained how an online business worked and specified the type of cookie she thought would be appropriate for the occasion. “Stained Glass Hearts” was not something these mothers were proficient with, but they were game to give it a try. With the help …
Another Week Beyond – 1917
Dear Friends About a year ago, we connected with a 16-year-old we shall call Sheryl. She was pregnant with her first child and she struck us a young woman who was scared but also very excited to be a mother. After she delivered, a medical social worker contacted us expressing concern that Sheryl lacked family support and was fending for herself and her baby. When we checked in with Sheryl, she was extremely reluctant to be linked to social services or welfare. We suspected that she feared being reprimanded by authority figures, but she insisted that she was well and …
Another Week Beyond – 1916
Dear Friends For the past 3 years, Richard Wee and his friends have been running FUNFIT, a fitness programme in our neighbourhoods. Once a week, children, youth and their caregivers would gather at an open space to run, skip, jump and simply move vigorously for 60 minutes. Richard has introduced the programme at 5 different localities and currently, 3 are alive and kicking. Last Friday, these 3 groups came together at an open space within the Henderson neighbourhood for the FUNFIT Challenge. This inter-community event is rotated among the neighbourhoods every 4 months and the healthy rivalry has surfaced …
Another Week Beyond – 1915
Dear Friends Another 25 children joined the Community Tabung, our monthly savings programme as we held the first session in their neighbourhood this week. Currently there are 177 children aged 12 years old and below who deposit their monthly savings into a common pool where the entire amount is doubled by a donor and then split equally to all who contributed. The individual amounts are then matched dollar to dollar by the government when deposited into their Child Development Account. The Child Development Account is a valuable resource for our families. The 10 parents who were present told us that …
Another Week Beyond – 1914
Dear Friends Last year, attendance for a reading programme targeting 4 to 9-year olds was dwindling. There was always a bunch of dedicated volunteers waiting in our air-conditioned classroom but only a handful of children would show. Those who came always had a fun-filled learning experience and they left for home with a sense of achievement. However, not everyone came back the following week and so at the end of the year, we decided to stop the programme and redeployed the volunteers. Many children that we are in touch with could do with some help strengthening their ability to read. …